


I Will Take You Home

by ElopeToTheSea



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-15 01:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7199618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElopeToTheSea/pseuds/ElopeToTheSea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And we will cry till this fire is drowned</p><p>And we will write all our memories down</p><p>And we will drive till these tires wear out</p><p>But darling I...</p><p>...I will take you home...</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Will Take You Home

The car was parked outside of Oikawa’s house. The street smelt like gasoline and mud. The sky was painted black, and three lamp posts stood with a dim light lighting the broken pavement at his feet. Iwaizumi kicked some rocks, hoping time would pass faster, and stared at the window from the house standing in front. The broken glass lead to a room so small, no human being would feel comfortable sleeping in it and tried not to think about the shining stars that decorated the wall, as if a reminder of who slept there. Actually, Iwaizumi was trying not to think at all, and especially not about why Oikawa had called him at one thirty in the morning, asking to come to his house, or how his voice broke when Iwaizumi tried to ask what’s wrong.  


Standing up, as near to the front porch as he could, he waited. The lights inside the house turned on, and even from outside Iwaizumi could feel hell break loose. He heard screams and yelling, the sound of broken vases and the throw of stuff against the walls and floor. Insults kept coming through the half opened window near the living room, making Iwaizumi feel lost and kind of impotent.

‘ _Gross’_

_‘I told you to get out’_

_‘What were you even thinking?’_

It was a woman’s voice, and unfortunately, Iwaizumi recognized it. The blurred memory of a soft nice woman smiling in the front porch -the same one he was looking at in those instants- asking Iwaizumi about his day, appeared in his mind. It was hard to link that same voice to the one that was currently shouting at her son unnameable things and that soft image to the dark and heart breaking one that was happening.

Even when Iwaizumi didn’t come to Oikawa’s house as often as Oikawa went to his, he remembered treating his mother and she had seemed so nice and kind…

“Go away!” The woman yelled and the door slammed open, making Iwaizumi flinch in his place.

“That’s what I’m doing!” Oikawa yelled back shutting the door right on her face. Her yelling continued for a minute or two, minutes that Oikawa spent just staring at the door. When she finally kept silent, Oikawa turned and ran straight to Iwaizumi. Even in the dim light, Iwaizumi could see how his mother’s outburst had caught Oikawa by surprise. Everything had gone too fast. Wearing an old hoodie and the first jeans he had found, only a backpack on his shoulder as luggage, Oikawa stood in front of Iwaizumi, with the head down.

“Hey,” Iwaizumi couldn’t find better words to greet him with. He stepped away from the car, “want a ride?”

Iwaizumi fully expected Oikawa to mock or joke about how that’s exactly why he had called him for that.

But he didn’t get any.

Instead, Oikawa nodded slowly. Worried, Iwaizumi opened the car’s door, letting him in.

The car was, to put it plainly, horrible. It could be even considered a dinosaur. Small, uncomfortable and a bicycle could be faster at some point. Iwaizumi usually didn’t complain, it was everything he could afford as a college student and even if it was slow it never failed to take him to his destination. But of course, it was something Oikawa constantly poked fun of. That’s why most of their car trips were filled with noise, laughter and the occasional yelling at each other.

The complete silence in this one made Iwaizumi want to punch something. Oikawa wasn’t looking at anything other than the window. The lights of the passing cars and the twenty four hours stores, illuminated his face. It would be incredibly beautiful, if it weren’t for the tears that shone with those lights, rolling down Oikawa’s face.

“Are you cold?” Iwaizumi pointed at the air conditioner. He saw how Oikawa was curled up, holding his arms as if huffing himself.

“Oh my!” Oikawa’s high pitched voice came back, “is Iwa-chan worried about me?”

Had his voice been masked better, or Iwaizumi hadn’t been the one in the car, it could be believe that he was better. But Iwaizumi wasn’t just anybody, he hadn’t spent more than a decade by this idiot’s side and begrudgingly accepted the title of his _‘Best Friend’_ to be fooled by such a poor excuse of façade.

“Of fucking course I am,” he turned the AC off and Oikawa visibly relaxed, unwrapping his hands from his arms. “You call me in the middle of the night, make me drive for fifteen minutes across the city, for you to get into my car without a single word, making me drive to god knows where!?”

He raised his voice until he was almost yelling. He turned slightly to see Oikawa who was still curled up hugging his bag.

“I’m sorry,” he said with a really soft voice that almost went unheard. Iwaizumi sighed.

“I don’t care,” he kept talking, this time, his voice gentle. “At his point, I really couldn’t care less about all this. I wouldn’t be your friend, if I wasn’t ready to receive a random call at two in the morning, or have a car with gasoline, because I’m sure you’ll somehow convince me to meet you in the park after you got into a fight with your dad.”

Oikawa stared, his tears had stopped flowing, and he just looked at Iwaizumi, like he wasn’t real.

“Wha-?”

“What I really, really can’t stand,” he said in a rushed pace, desperate. “Is that I’m seeing my best friend for seventeen years, sitting on my stupid car, and I have no idea…Of why his mother kicked him out. Or what I’m supposed to do now that you seem to be homeless.”

Iwaizumi was gripping the wheel, his knuckles almost turning white.

“Iwa-chan…”

“What kind of friend am I, if the only thing I can do right now is drive!?”

Oikawa let his bag fall into the floor of the car. Oikawa placed his hands on the stereo, gently turning it on. There was old music playing, he knew it was Iwaizumi’s mother’s old cd. He liked to hear it when things turned a little too gloomy. It reminded him of good times.

“Probably the best kind,” Oikawa smiled. He busied himself with turning the volume down and then rested his head against the window. “You know, Iwa-chan? I remember the first time mom hit me…We were having dinner, dad had just left, I think we had takeout’s… Mom was eating with a bottle of Vodka instead of water…For some reason, she started screaming. Most of the fight is a blur and can’t remember it all that much but I still can see her eyes, glaring, scary. The hit of her hand in my face, it stung for a weeks after that. She seemed guilty, but didn’t say a thing aside from a yelled ‘Go to your room!’…” Oikawa imitated her mother’s voice and, for some reason, laughed bitterly. As if it were funny and it wasn’t killing him slowly from the inside. He continued, taking slow breaths. “Her voice sounded funny…”

Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa, who seemed entranced by the memory.

“You didn’t tell me,” Iwaizumi looked at his house. It was near, so he decided to take turn left and keep driving.

“I was scared,” Oikawa confessed. He recognised that Iwaizumi was taking a detour, but fought against pointing it out. “I wasn’t sure what to do. Mom was acting weird, dad left, and everything was just…different in the blink of an eye. So I did the only thing that was familiar. I took my phone, and called you.”

Iwaizumi parked outside a twenty four hours shore, next to the gas station.

The sound of old music still filled the car as background noise, and the AC kept the inside cold enough.

“You answered ‘who the hell calls at this hour, dumbass!?’ and I answered, ‘but you picked up!’ Then you went silent and asked what I wanted. I don’t remember what I said but you told me it was dumb,” Oikawa continued. Iwaizumi, now free to move, looked at Oikawa properly. He was hiding his face with the hood of the sweater. “You didn’t believe what I said. But you didn’t ask either. We talked about Volleyball, about high school. For hours. About a lot of things I can’t remember. I was grateful. I didn’t want to talk about her.”

Oikawa paused and the music felt louder for an instant, even managing to make out the lyrics. A flash of memory came to both, from when they were kids, singing with Iwaizumi’s mother in the kitchen. Oikawa used to sing the part of the boy, Mika the girl’s, and Iwaizumi the instrumental.

“You don’t want me to ask?” He asked confused.

“I would like to forget,” Oikawa looked through the window, sighing. “But my mom kicked me out and I’m in a metal coffin with my best friend at two in the morning…. I can’t forget now.”

“I guess that’s true,” Iwaizumi shrugged, and then huffed. “And don’t call it a metal coffin. It’s less of a trouble than you.”

“At least I look pretty,” Oikawa grinned a bit.

“Believe me, right now, the metal coffin looks prettier,” Iwaizumi grabbed his nose that was completely red from crying, to prove his point.

“So mean,” Oikawa laughed and Iwaizumi felt relief wash over him, as he heard it again. It amazed him that such an annoying laugh was making him so happy.

“Then…” Iwaizumi rested his head on the seat. He gazed through the front window. The stars were shinning but they were so small, he could barely see a few. “Now what?”

“Dunno,” with a soft ‘thud’ Oikawa let his head fall against the window. Slowly, he reached for his cheek. It was swollen. “I won’t go back, that’s for sure…I should have left long ago, actually…”

“You should have told me sooner,” Iwaizumi glared but Oikawa just chuckled. At this, Iwaizumi smiled. “But that can be forgiven, since you are an idiot.”

Oikawa laughed again.

“Maybe I am…” He said, sadder, almost heartbreakingly. “Only an idiot would…”

Then stared. The silence fell into the car again. It seemed gloomy, although Iwaizumi found it quite pleasant.

“Idiot or not,” Iwaizumi turned to see Oikawa, whose eyes were glued to the window. “I’m still stuck with you here, so I guess that also makes me an idiot.”

Oikawa let out a joyful laugh.

“We’re both idiots then!” He took the hood off his face, letting Iwaizumi see his tear stained cheeks and red eyes. “I wonder how we’ve survived this long.”

“Well, If we’ve survived seventeen years,” the sky was painted blue and the store’s lights were shinning enough to see the nearby trees. By this point, even the flowers were covered in dusty light. Iwaizumi looked right into Oikawa’s eyes and smiled. Reassuring, warm. Oikawa felt the corner of his eyes prickled once again, and Iwaizumi lightly punched his arms, unaware of his actual strength, which made Oikawa flinch slightly, but he was used to it in some way. “I think we can go through everything. Even this.”

“We?” Oikawa asked, hesitant.

“Of course. I can’t leave you alone for even one second. Who knows what kind of mess you’ll get into?”

“I can take care of myself, Iwa-chan,” he complained.

“And that’s why you called me to take you out of that place, isn’t it?” Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa mockingly, then sighed. “You got me into this mess. You’ll have to confront the consequences and let me help you until the end.”

“It’s none of your business,” Oikawa said barely above a whisper.

“Believe me, when it comes to you, sadly, it is all of my business,” Iwaizumi said as he watched Oikawa’s eyes get more and more distressed.

“It doesn’t have to,” he said hurriedly, breaths coming out quick. “You should just forget. This whole thing is messed up. It will gross you out and…”

“Okay, stop,” Iwaizumi held Oikawa’s hands, to prevent them from covering his own face. With a red face, Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi whose gaze wasn’t hesitant in the least. “You. Answer me. How long have we known each other?”

“Wha-!?” Oikawa stuttered. “Iwa-chan, what are you-!?”

“Answer me,” his tone firm but voice pleading.

‘Iwaizumi should never make a face like that,’ Oikawa though. He couldn’t bear to be the reason why he looked so worried, so he answered.

“Seventeen years,” he said.

“Good. Now. How many times have you seen me angry?”

“Oh, a ton,” Oikawa rolled his eyes.

“How many have they been your fault?”

Oikawa’s eyes fell. Unsure, he answered.

“Probably all…If not more I never saw…”

“You are right,” Iwaizumi said, and this time, he sighed. “And…Now tell me. Am I still here?”

“Well…You are but…” Oikawa looked away.

“That’s right. I’m still here,” Iwaizumi let his head rest in Oikawa’s hand. “You can’t throw that much time away with no reason. If I have stuck with you for so damn long…There’s nothing you can do that will push me away…”

Oikawa stared. It was Iwaizumi. Gentle, nice, rock head Iwaizumi…Someone who Oikawa couldn’t even dream to be without. He was saying all this. It was making it so hard to breathe…He shook Iwaizumi’s hand off. Looking down to his feet, he talked.

“I’m gay,” he blurted our suddenly. He felt Iwaizumi flinch and his own cheeks flush. “That’s it…That’s why mom kicked me out. That’s why we’re in this mess to begin with. Gross, isn’t it?”

Oikawa was crying. Silent tears rolled from his eyes to his neck. He didn’t dare to look up at Hajime. The image of his mother, glaring and shouting, was too fresh to forget. Words, curses. ‘Fagot’ ‘I thought I raised you better,’ ‘Gross’.

He felt helpless. If Iwaizumi looked down at him, like his mother…If he insulted and yelled like that…If he were to kick him out of his life for being gross…He wasn’t sure if he would be able to take it. Damn it! If Iwa-chan left…

How would he able to smile again?

Truly, from the bottom of his heart…

“I can’t blame her for this,” his laughter trembled with despair. “I’m such a stupid fool…I shouldn’t have been born…”

“No!” suddenly, Iwaizumi yelled. It startled Oikawa, who looked up in surprise. Iwaizumi had this horrified look in his eyes. “She i-! She’s a-! Ugh! I’m-!”

Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi opened the door, running to get fresh air.

“Iwa-chan?” he asked, getting out too.

They were standing in the middle of the parking lot of a convenience store. Oikawa trying not to freeze as Iwaizumi walked looking at the sky.

“Iwa-chan, what’s wrong?” Oikawa called, suddenly worried. Had he done something wrong? Scared, he didn’t dare to walk near.

“You mother is wrong!” Iwaizumi yelled but covered his mouth as soon as he did. The fast pace continued, as if walking away the anger.

“It’s okay,” Oikawa tried to calm him down. He didn’t dare to move. But Iwaizumi stopped on his track as soon as he talked.

“It’s not okay!” he sat down, resting his head against the car’s door. Hidding his face in his hands, Iwaizumi could only sigh. “This is _not_ okay…”

Hesitantly, Oikawa got closer, standing in front of Iwaizumi.

“Well, I don’t care anymore,” With a faint smile, Oikawa managed to say. He shivered a little from the cold. “It doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m okay now.”

“How can you be okay with this?” Iwaizumi hissed and Oikawa sat down next to him. While Oikawa stared at the starry sky, Iwaizumi looked down.

“Maybe because I feel like it’s not a bad thing,” Oikawa shrugged.

“Not a bad thing?” Iwaizumi asked, angry. He looked at Oikawa. “She kicked you out, for such a dumb reason…You have literally no home right now.”

“Okay, if you put it like that it sounds horrible…That’s what I first thought too,” Oikawa managed to see three little stars aligned. It was Orion. He turned to see Iwaizumi. “But, even after everything…You are still here.”

“Of course I am,” Iwaizumi huffed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Mom isn’t.”

Silence fell. You could only hear the low sound of some random car’s motor. Iwaizumi couldn’t stop staring at Oikawa, who in turn, was looking at the sky – he had found Cancer and Gemini right next to Orion- and somehow he looked better. Almost at peace. Maybe after blurting out what he had kept for years, in matter of moments, made it feel like things wouldn’t go as badly as they seemed. But Iwaizumi couldn’t be so calm. He was shaken, and frustrated. The fact that the person who was supposed to protect Oikawa, above everything, had simply turned away from her only child, for such a stupid reason...

“If you keep frowning like that, you’ll have wrinkles all over your ugly face,” Oikawa said, only to make Iwaizumi angry.

“Shut up,” he pushed him away without much force. But instead of finding a grin on Oikawa’s face, he saw him staring with sad eyes.

“I’m glad you stayed,” a whisper came from Oikawa’s lips, as he rested his head on Iwaizumi’s shoulder. He could easily shake him off but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Oikawa felt oddly warm, so he put his arm around his shoulder, bringing him closer. He felt Oikawa sob against him. “I’m…really glad…”

“I told you,” Iwaizumi felt how Oikawa clung to his jacket and he gripped his shoulder tighter, in return. “It would take a lot more, for me to give this up.”

“Iwa-chan…” Oikawa sobbed “I was so scared you would leave me…I don’t know what I would do if you…”

“Idiot,” letting Oikawa curl up by his side, he hugged him tight. He didn’t want to let go. “I’m here.”

“Iwa-chan…”

It felt nice, even if they were sitting in a parking lot at almost three in the morning, and the homeless dude in the corner was creeping Iwaizumi out. Right now, he couldn’t care. Not when Oikawa was crying by his side with nowhere to go.

“Iwa-chan is warm,” After a while, Oikawa’s ragged voice cut through the silence. He took a deep breath, and for some reason it felt better than anything else had, since a long time ago. The peace flooded him, as Iwaizumi’s arms wrapped around his body, it felt surreal. He didn’t want to leave, or to move. He hugged him even more. Hoping never to let go.

“Whatever,” he answered but couldn’t fight down the blush creeping up his face.

“Iwa-chan is always there for me…” Oikawa said, sighing.

“If I weren’t you would be dead by now,” Iwaizumi’s words made Oikawa laugh softly. He rested against him, trying not to think. Everything, even if it was scary and new, somehow also managed to feel familiar and nice. “Don’t fall asleep here, idiot.”

“You remember when I called you in the middle of the night?” Oikawa asked suddenly. Iwaizumi snorted.

“Yeah, at least three times a week,” Iwaizumi remembered those countless sleepless nights trying to keep up with whatever nonsense Oikawa made up at those hours. It made him laugh now, even if he was furious back then.

“When mom hit me…Your voice always calmed me down.”

Iwaizumi didn’t know what to say about this.

“All the time?” he managed to ask after a while.

“Not _all_ the time. She wasn’t that mean,” Oikawa sighed, “sometimes she just screamed, or I was too scared to come out of my room, since she was always outside, drinking. Either way, I couldn’t sleep. But when we talked everything seemed to be _okay_. It made me forget and…”

Iwaizumi tried not to hit something. If he had known at those times what Oikawa was going through, he wouldn’t have been so anxious to end the call. No matter if it was four in the morning and there was school the following day.

He wasn’t even sure what to do or what to say. It was awkward but Oikawa didn’t seem to mind.

So, he just let him rest on him. And even with a sore and numb body, Iwaizumi couldn’t feel like complaining. Quite the opposite actually. Oikawa was soft, with the perfect temperature. The smell of his hair was so familiar it was soothing.

The air was cold, yet he couldn’t feel anything other than the soft warmth from Oikawa pressing by his side.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pale white hand. Full of bruises and scratches from volleyball practices. He reached to hold it in his. It was big and hard from the injuries but, for some reason, it didn’t feel bad. Gently, without looking away from the sky, he ran his thumb over it. Tracing circles and figures. The hand relaxed, like it was melting in his own. Such a weird feeling.

“What are you doing with my hand, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa spoke, breaking the magic spell. Iwaizumi quickly let go of it, making Oikawa pout. “I didn’t say I disliked it…”

And as soon as he said it, Oikawa sneezed.

“Thought idiots didn’t catch colds,” Iwaizumi snorted, to what Oikawa turned, almost insulted.

“I’m not an idiot,” he claimed but Iwaizumi didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed Oikawa off and stood up. For a moment, Oikawa got scared. “Iwa-chan?”

“Hurry, it’s getting late. I’ll drive you home,” he answered and Oikawa’s heart stopped. Memories of his mother returned, and soon dread followed.

“I’m not going back there,” he almost spat that last word. Iwaizumi didn’t turn.

“No way in hell I’m taking you there. Before that, I would kill myself,” he said. Slowly he looked at Oikawa, “I said I was taking you home.”

Oikawa shot his eyes wide open and smiled brighter than any other time. He got up so fast he tripped. But finally stood by Iwaizumi’s side.

“Let’s go home, Iwa-chan!”


End file.
